Homewood To Replace Outdated Emergency Sirens

HOMEWOOD, IL — The Village of Homewood will replace existing emergency warning sirens and install three new warning system sirens in the upcoming weeks. Due to the demand and shortage of repair parts, village officials found it necessary to replace the 25-year-old sirens in their entirety.

The sirens have outdated technology and have to be manually started by the Homewood Police Department, according to a release from the Village. The new sirens will be set up electronically and sounded through the Village’s dispatch center, like many other communities. Residents should be aware there will be no voice recordings following the sounded alerts.

“Homewood has needed a more reliable and updated emergency warning system for many years,” said Deputy Fire Chief Steve DeJong. “Residents can feel safe knowing timely notification will be sent in the event they need to Shelter-in-Place.”

The new sirens will be installed on or about Nov. 7. Residents can expect the project’s duration to be anywhere from 7-10 days.

Federal Signal, in conjunction with Braniff Communications, won the bid process in July 2022. The contract awarded opened at just under $85k and includes the removal of old sirens and the installation of new sirens.

The locations of the updated sirens will be installed at the original locations of 183rd Street and Stewart, 187th Street and at the Public Works Department facility located on Ashland Avenue.